We analyzed 255 interview reviews for Junior Accountant from various job sites, social network groups and forums.
Here are the most frequent job interview questions asked by HR managers during initial phone or onsite interviews. This list does not include technical or factual questions.
10 frequent non-technical questions for Junior Accountant:
According to our research, hiring managers looking to fill Junior Accountant role ask soft skills interview questions 75% more frequently than for other roles.
1. Tell me about yourselftop question
How to answer
This question may sound vague, but it actually requires a matter of fact, concise and relevant answer. Here’s how you can approach it.
About Yourself
What is your current occupation? Define yourself professionally in one statement.
Pick 3 key skills that make you great at your work (your Key Selling Points). How have you applied these skills?
Try to give some numbers to support your statement.
About The Company
Based on what you know about the company and the job description, why are you interested in the position you are applying for?
About The Fit
- Based on your Key Selling Points and your knowledge about the company, why do you think you are a good fit for this position?
Can you support your statement with relevant examples from your past experiences?
Try to be concise and stay within 1-2 minutes.
Pro Tip
You can also end with a question like:
“Do you know what the current needs in the company/department are, where my skills and experience can help?"
That can help you learn more about the company and the job, turn the "interrogation" into a conversation and will allow you to relax some tension.
Read our blog post to learn more about how to answer this question.
Take a quiz
Take a quick quiz and check if you’re ready to answer this question at your next job interview:
Pick the best answer:
AMy name is Andrew Franklin, I am 28 years old, and I am looking for a job that pays well.
BHello, my name is Natalie Price. I have two children and I love playing billiards and travelling. I am 33 years old.
CHi Mr. Simon, my name is Stanley Clark and I am a certified Project Management professional known for completing projects on time and on budget. I am passionate about building agile work culture and delivering results.
DHi Mr. Simon, my name is Dorothy Hanson. I have previously worked as an accountant in retail, but currently I am trying to transition into the field of healthcare.
2. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
How to answer
This question belongs to a family of behavioral, or even more precisely, reflective questions.
The interviewer wants to see whether you are reflective about yourself, whether you are ambitious and strive to grow as a professional, whether you like to learn and develop your skills.
They are also looking for your ambitions to fit the career path opportunities related to the position you are applying for.
About Yourself
Presumably, you are interested to grow professionally.
Think about the possibilities that may lie ahead for you: take a personality test (I recommend 16Personalities which is based on Myers-Briggs test), research the internet on what career paths are possible with your skills and current job.
What challenges do you like overcoming?
For example, if you are applying for a software tester position, you may find it fascinating to master automated testing in full and eventually become a software engineer, or you may be a natural trainer and love coaching other people which may lead you to become a QA team or department lead, or you may be more interested in understanding business aspects of requirements which may logically lead you into a Business Analyst position.
However, if you are happy just where you are and want to further your current skills, that is also fine as long as there is a growth path for you that can be imagined and described.
About The Company
Research the company to learn what career opportunities may be available in the department you are applying to, and what the trends are in the company in general.
- Is the business expanding, are they opening new locations, or starting new projects?
Or are they heavily automating and cutting staff?
Let’s say you are applying for a UX designer position for a brand-new product.
In the future, if the product becomes a success - which is what the company hopes for - the company will hire more designers and you may become a lead designer, or you may become a product manager.
On a side note: If you train your mind to be open to opportunities you will be amazed at how much this world has to offer to you!
About The Fit
And, of course, try to see where the perfect fit lies between your own potential and aspirations, and the company’s trends and hopes.
However, beware of the risk of showing too much excitement for future opportunities compared to your attitude towards the current position.
If you aren’t really excited about the position you are applying for and you demonstrate this lack of enthusiasm, the interviewer may conclude that you are not a good fit for the current position.
Try to find a source of excitement in the current position as well, otherwise, you may be doing yourself a disservice by applying to a position you will find boring in 2-3 months.
Pro Tip
This question gives you a good opportunity to showcase your Key Selling Points (e.g. “As I am very good at delegating tasks, I can easily see myself leading a team of software testers in the future…”), and end your statement by asking about current initiatives and goals at the company.
It is generally NOT a good idea to say something like:
“Oh, I cannot imagine what happens to me tomorrow, let alone in 5 years”.
This will show you as a person who is unimaginative and not forward-thinking enough to grow with and be a good fit for the company.
3. What is your greatest weakness?
How to answer
This question ranks as the most challenging for many people. Fortunately, Mr. Simon is here to help!
Interviewers ask this question to gauge your level of self-awareness, your honesty and openness, and your capability for self-improvement.
About Yourself
No one is perfect and your interviewer doesn't expect you to be perfect either.
While it is good to be honest and open, it will not help you to put yourself down.
What's important is to find a weakness that you have overcome or something that is not related to the position for which you are applying.
For example, one of our clients admitted that he is not very good at public speaking and that he has recently become a member of Toastmasters International to improve. What a respectful answer and approach, in my view!
About The Company
Research the company (website, social media, etc) to learn about the company culture.
What personal and professional qualities do they value?
About The Fit
It is important that the weakness you decide to talk about is not one that will prevent you from performing the job for which you're applying.
For example, if you're applying for a front-end developer position, do not talk about how you are struggling to understand HTML code.
Pro Tip
Use this question to sell yourself!
It's important to show how well you've overcome a weakness by motivating yourself and learning a new skill to grow professionally.
Take a quiz
Take a quick quiz and check if you’re ready to answer this question at your next job interview:
Which of the following would be the best answer:
ASometimes I just work too hard
BI have trouble saying “no” when a colleague asks for help and I have my own work to finish
CI am a perfectionist
DI cannot think of a single thing
Now that you have read some of our recommendations, you may wonder: “Ok, so what’s next? I seem to understand these concepts quite well and they kind of make sense to me, but how do I make sure my answers are actually in accordance with these recommendations, and I will stand out as a strong candidate in my upcoming interview?”
Good question. Assuming you are indeed qualified and fit for the position you are interviewing for, the best thing you can do is make sure the interviewer sees this fit.
There are two ways how you can leverage Mr. Simon’s expertise to help you shine your best:
- Go ahead and practice with the Mr. Simon app - it is a completely free, fun and helpful experience!
- Request a mock interview with a real human career mentor. During the session we will help you identify your Key Selling Points to emphasize in the interview, and to present them in a way that strongly communicates your value to the company. The 1-hour session costs USD 79.99 and is supplemented by 2 weeks of support via email, free of additional charge.
To request the session, shoot us an email to coaching@mrsimon.ai and attach your resume and job description to expedite the process.
Here’s what our customers are saying.
Amanda, QA Manager:
I searched interview prep via Google and found Mr. Simon. I sent an e-mail requesting help. Natalie was prompt in response. The session was one of the best things to have happened during my job search and interview preparation.
Natalie helped me feel calm and confident. She helped me break down the job description and relate it to my experience. After working with Natalie, I received 2 job offers in the same day.
Anna, Director of Brand and Marketing Strategy:
I had you on the list to reach out since it was your advice that helped me prep differently for my interviews. Thank you for your support and friendship while I was transitioning. It had an impact! I appreciate it and mean it.
Claudia, Project Manager:
I used Mr. Simon to prepare for a job interview, and it helped me re-think my responses and gain confidence. Also, the questions were not very far from real life interview questions. In addition, having the opportunity to hear my own answers and read the recommendations on how to respond concisely was really helpful. I enjoyed using Mr. Simon and would use it again!
4. What are your salary requirements?
How to answer
This question seems factual, but it gauges how well you value yourself and how well you know your industry.
This is your opportunity to present yourself as a qualified professional and get a proper salary!
Read on to learn how you can answer this question with confidence, using an analytical approach. The answer may be given as a range or as a single target number.
About Yourself
The first thing to research is the salary range for your role in the market. What is the industry standard?
Next, think of your qualifications for the role. Weigh in your traits, skills, education, and experience. Try this exercise, draw a line on a piece of paper where on the left side sits a complete beginner, and on the right side - the best professional in the world the company may try to invite for the role. Where do you position yourself?
Now, remember that once you start in your new role, your qualifications will be growing fast, due to all the new experience you will be gaining - consequently, your value will rise as well. Your salary, on the other hand, will not increase as quickly. So, try to imagine where your qualifications will bring you, on that scale, in about a year into the new job.
Map the scale against the industry range. Now you should be able to come up with an objective figure, as opposed to pure speculation.
This is not real math, however, so your number cannot be very precise, of course. Define a range, which starts with the minimum that will keep you satisfied a few months into the job, and the maximum which, a year into the job, will give you the lifestyle you would ideally like to have at that time.
Make sure the range stays within 40%-60% between extremes. Remember, the higher the position up the ladder, the wider the range can be. What is the number in the middle? Will you feel comfortable with this number?
About The Company
Research the company and find out what they are paying. The best places to find this information are Glassdoor, LinkedIn, PayScale and other similar websites.
About The Fit
Based on your research, does the company fit your desired salary range?
Now, whether you should be giving a range, or a single target number is a matter of debate. I personally think that a single number, given in a suggestive manner, is better than the range, because when given a range, they may logically gravitate towards the lower end, especially since you’ve said that the lower number is acceptable.
One example of how to structure your answer of a single target number is this:
I have done my research and based on the average for the industry, location, and my level of expertise, something like XXX seems reasonable to me. What do you think?
Besides giving the factual answer that the interviewer is asking for, such an answer will also show you to be someone who takes the initiative, who goes the extra mile, and someone with data-driven and analytical mindset.
Pro Tip
Firstly try asking the interviewer to give you their intended range as budgeted for this role, which is a regular practice in most companies. However, don’t be too evasive and if you see they are not inclined to give you their number, name yours.
5. Tell me about your greatest professional accomplishment
How to answer
Of all your accomplishments (and I am sure you’ve had a great many of them!), you should choose the one most relevant to this job position.
About Yourself
Write down your Key Selling Points - your top 3-5 skills that make you a strong professional.
Write down a list of your top 3-5 professional accomplishments that you are most proud of. No need for lengthy descriptions, just 1-2 words for each one to help you recall each situation.
Make sure you have developed the story behind each accomplishment and have a strong command of the details of what happened so that you can tell the story clearly and distinctly.
Along with each accomplishment, mark which of your Key Selling Points they showcase. How exactly?
About The Company
Based on your research of the company, what are their current needs?
- What are the major projects going on?
- What are the expectations for the position you are applying for?
About The Fit
Try to imagine yourself being an employee of the company you are applying to, say, at your 6th month into the job.
- Which of your Key Selling Points and accomplishments would be most relevant to the company?
What “have you accomplished at your new job?”
Choose the most relevant accomplishment from your list and then practice telling your story.
Pro Tip
Most enterprises are now going through major transformations, often called Digital Transformation.
Do your research on what it means and what is often involved, to get a better idea of the current goals and environments in companies. But one thing that definitely characterizes this transformation is striving for agility.
In particular, for startups (if you are applying to a startup or a small business), agility is their middle name, in order for them to survive among bigger sharks in the market.
So, demonstrating qualities like agility and adaptability should generally be helpful and quite a safe choice in most circumstances today.
Take a quiz
Take a quick quiz and check if you’re ready to answer this question at your next job interview:
Why do interviewers ask this question?
AThey want to know why you think the accomplishment you chose is your greatest, to give them an idea of what you think is important
BThey want to hear a specific example of your work to see if your problem solving skills fit in with the issues and problems their company might be experiencing
CThey want to know if you are a great multitasker who can get 10 different things done by the end of the day, no matter how long you have to stay at work to complete it all
6. What was the biggest mistake you made in your most recent job? How did you handle it?
How to answer
It’s important to know how to answer a job interview question about mistakes. They ask questions like this to learn how you handle challenges. They also want to determine your weaknesses, and decide if you have what it takes to do the job well.
It’s a chance for the interviewer to see that you can learn from your mistakes and use the experience to get better.
About Yourself
Do your best to tell a positive story about how the mistake was made, how you dealt with it and what learned from it.
We all make mistakes from time-to-time.
Answering some of the following questions will help you understand your own view of dealing with mistakes and their consequences. For instance:
- How do you use a mistake to improve your abilities?
- Are you self-aware enough to acknowledge failure and weakness?
- Do you take smart risks?
- How do you view success, failure, and risk in general?
- Do you take responsibility for past mistakes instead of putting the blame on others?
- If the situation repeats, what would you do differently? What would you do again?
About The Company
Before the interview, look over the job listing, research the company. Try to think of a mistake you have made in the past that is not too closely related to the requirements of the job you are interviewing for.
What kind of challenges might you face if you get the job here?
About The Fit
It’s your opportunity to emphasize the skills or qualities you gained from your past negative experience that are important for the job you’re interviewing for now.
Put a positive spin on your response by defining the “mistake” as a “learning experience” that led to your increased competency in the workplace.
Talk about a specific example of a time you made a mistake. Briefly explain what the mistake was; quickly switch over to what you learned, or how you improved, after making that mistake.
You might also explain the steps you took to make sure that mistake never happened again. Say that something you may have struggled with in the past has actually now became one of your strengths.
Pick a story that ends with a compelling example of a lesson learned. Tell your story using the STAR method.
Pro Tip
Make absolutely sure that the interviewer understands that you learned from the experience.
Never blame others for what you did (however, if you were part of a team failure, you could relate this experience, just be sure to own up to your part in it).
Always be accountable for what you could have done differently in the failure.
Demonstrate that you’ve had the maturity to benefit from previous “lessons learned” and you can move on with increased wisdom and competency.
7. What are your long-term goals?
How to answer
Even in this age of the so-called Gig Economy, employers are always looking for people who can become their strong and loyal “soldiers,” a part of their “army” to help them conquer their market share against their competitors.
So, even if at this moment this job may be a temporary contract, you never know what opportunities may present themselves to you in this company.
Trust me, your hiring manager doesn’t know either!
So, be open to opportunities and use this question to emphasize how your personal goals correspond with those of the company.
About Yourself
Start with honestly assessing yourself. (At this moment, you are not sharing these thoughts with anyone, so be as open as you can).
Imagine that you have all the resources in the world and that all roads are open for you.
- How would you use them?
- Which road(s) would you choose?
What do you see on the horizon in that direction?
Be audacious and don’t limit yourself. There is no longer a perspective than “long-term,” so be as futuristic as you possibly can.
List a few “road” options that you would be enthusiastic about going down.
For example, this list may be as broad as the following:
• writer
• choir director
• software engineer and architect
• CEO of a unicorn startup company,
• entrepreneur.As William Shakespeare once said, “We know what we are, but we know not what we may be.”
About The Company
Now, look at the company.
- What is the industry they operate in?
- What is the position you are applying for, and what are potential career growth possibilities within the department, company, and industry?
About The Fit
Which of your “road” options correspond best with the opportunities presented by this company?
Highlight this option and focus on it. Imagine, in as much detail as you can, going down this road.
What would be the major milestones for you, in order to move towards your goal?
Describe the chosen option by focusing on the first 1-2 milestones, and by presenting it in light of company goals and current initiatives.
For example, if you are applying for a project manager position in a corporation engaged in the education industry, and your “road” option is “CEO,” your next career step may be a program manager, or an innovations and research manager.
Explain why you are enthusiastic about reaching these goals, and what makes you think you have the necessary traits and skills to reach them.
How can the company benefit from these traits and skills of yours already today, in the current role you are applying for?
Pro Tip
Framing your answer in the same terms used by the company will help ensure the interviewer can easily understand your language and help both of you to be “on the same page.”
The easier you make it for the interviewer, the better are your chances they will “vote” for you over other candidates.
8. Tell me about your work experience. What was the most interesting?
How to answer
This question lets an interviewer gauge what makes you tick and whether the job you are applying for corresponds with your areas of excitement and enthusiasm. Such a fit will earn you important points for being a viable candidate.
About Yourself
Review the details that you shared in your resume. Select the three to five best points to highlight and relate to the position to which you're applying.
About The Company
Carefully research the company and the job description.
Find out what duties you'll be taking on to determine which of your top skills to emphasize. Try to find out what current challenges they are trying to solve by opening this vacancy.
About The Fit
Knowing the duties for which you will be responsible will help you identify which prior experiences to highlight.
How well you connect your previous experiences with the job requirements can tell the interviewer how prepared you are for this role and how enthusiastic you will be about your job.
Pro Tip
Do not start your answer with "as you can see from my resume," even if you have listed those skills and qualities.
Instead, tell a story showing that you can solve problems similar to their current challenges and that you are enthusiastic about this.
You can best do this through constant practice of your STARs.
9. How would you describe yourself?
How to answer
This question is like the Tell me about yourself question usually asked at the beginning of an interview, but there are some subtle differences. It belongs to the family of reflective questions where the interviewer is assessing your cognitive abilities, as opposed to the more factual and matter-of-fact “Tell Me About Yourself” question.
About Yourself
Think of how your bosses and peers would describe you.
Throughout your professional experience, you have probably heard them giving you some labels – try to remember the exact words they used.
If you have received LinkedIn recommendations from someone, read those and think why people wrote them and what work situations prompted those descriptions. Remember the context of those situations and frame them as stories.
Make a list of keywords, or short key phrases, that can describe you. Your Key Selling Points should definitely appear on this list, but try to also use some adjectives here, to add a positive emotional touch.
About The Company
Research the company's values, standards and policies. Make a list of keywords or short key phrases.
About The Fit
Which of your keywords correspond best with those of the company? Highlight 3-4 matches. Now try to imagine being a peer or a boss of yours and compile statements about yourself, in the 3rd person, mentioning these keywords. Remember to use adjectives, and don’t be afraid to mention real references from real people.
For example, if you are applying for a position that requires good people skills, and your boss at your previous job called you a “conflict resolution guru,” don’t be shy to mention this reference, and provide a brief context that caused your boss’s praise. Use the STAR method to craft your story.
Don’t limit yourself with just one keyword. If you are concise and don’t ramble with your answer, your interviewer will probably want to hear more than one. Just be observant and watch the interviewer’s reaction. You want to keep them interested.
Pro Tip
If you haven’t yet received any LinkedIn recommendations, try to obtain them. Also, offer to write your own recommendations for them - both received and given recommendations will be visible in your profile and will tell the interviewer exactly what you want to be known about your values, your attitude towards work and relationships.
10. Do you prefer working in a team or working alone?
How to answer
When the interviewers ask this question, they want an insight into your personality, how well you work independently and how well you work with others.
Generally, there's no right or wrong answer to this question, unless the company specifically prefers that you work only in a team or only by yourself.
Luckily, Mr. Simon is here to provide you guidance.
About Yourself
To prepare for this question, try to think of your previous experiences. Which type of work suited you best and why?
For instance, someone who prefers working by themselves may be able to focus better on the problem and a person who prefers a team approach may like having others to help figure out problems.
If you're a fresh graduate or someone that does not have much work experience, you can think of schoolwork or the times that you worked with others in an organization.
About The Company
- What has your research found out about the company and its culture?
What have you learned about how the employees work?
Review the job description as it may give you clues to whether the job focuses on teams, independence or both.
Try to expand your search into social media posts at Glassdoor or others where employees/former employees may have posted about working conditions you would be working under.
Remember: knowledge is the key! The more you know about the company, the better prepared you will be to answer questions like this.
About The Fit
Based on your research, what did you find is the company's preference?
- What type of workplace does the company appear to have?
- What kind of challenges could you help the company/department resolve by working as part of a team?
What about the challenges that can be resolved by working independently?
Emphasize both independent successes as well as group successes (be sure to mention actions you took to help the team).
Pro Tip
Talk about the benefits of each working style and add to your story by telling them in terms of your STARs:
what was the Situation/Task you needed to address?
what Actions/Approach did you take?
what were the Results? What did you do differently that made you successful?
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This page has been updated on April 25, 2022.
